As the Snow Melts Red
by Puppy-Sama InuYasha
Summary: Our favorite meisters are sent to go find a source of Pre-Kishin outbursts, and stop it. But, they never expected to find something so vile. A strange incident causes the pact between DWMA and the witches to break, and war to stop, and Maka might just be to blame. By using an unexpected ally, she may be able to clear her name. But, will she trust it enough to stop rampant chaos?
1. The Journey Begins

**A/N: Heya, guys. I know, more hiatus. I'm so sorry about that. But, I did finish the manga series, which led to this idea, which is much better than the overplayed one for my first Soul Eater fic. I hope this proves to be truly unique for you guys, and I hope you like my story. Yes, the main ship will most likely be SoMa, but I'm not going to push it on the story. If you guys really want the ship, then I'll put it in, but, nothing super cliche, okay guys?**

**Okay, confession time: I got this story idea by listening to the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack. BUT, that doesn't mean that my story is going to be based off of HTTYD. In fact, the only thing I got from HTTYD was the general location- up in the Northern lands, probably Scotland. And, I PROMISE not to discontinue this one, especially because my Soul Eater obsession has lasted longer than any other fandom-love I've had- it's not gonna wear down within a week. So, let's have some fun with this story, shall we?**

**I was thinking of being cheesy and switching P.O.V'S, but, I'll try to make it look fancy. If you see a fancy italic and underlined name in the middle of a line, that means I switched POV's, okay?**

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned Soul Eater (which is owned by Atsushi Ohkubo, and its English releases are licensed by FUNimation), I wouldn't be on Fanfiction, now would I?**

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_ MAKA ALBARN_

As pretty as this place looked, I was freezing down to the bone. What a place to be in winter, huh? This was probably the third hour of our trek through this dense, poorly-trailed forest. There were vines and old roots everywhere, each branch of every _very inconveniently placed tree _low enough to whack me in the face. If this were a regular extra-curricular activity, I'd have been dropped off right into a city, or something. But, this was different. This was a mission. A mission that needed a Death Scythe. So, it was up to me, Soul, Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kilik, Fire, Thunder, Sid, and Naigus to be camping out near a small Welsh town for weeks while figuring out some huge mystery. Kidd had assigned us to this mission when he noticed stranger-than-normal reports all spawning from areas in Scotland (another team was deployed in Wales). But, why did this all have to happen in the _winter?_ I was shivering, even in my heavy, fur-lined coat (which, to my surprise, had the old SPARTOI emblem on the right sleeve- it was probably made when Shinigami-sama was alive). That's what I get for living in Nevada my whole life.

We trekked on and on, and it was nearing sunset. Well, I didn't exactly walk, per se. My clumsy, big-footed self had managed to almost tear my ankle muscle while tripping over a protruding tree root, and getting my foot stuck. And, where did that get me? Being stuck in an uncomfortable piggy-back ride, from none other than my weapon partner. Well, he wasn't grumbling, or anything, but I could imagine having to carry his meister while the whole group hikes through an endless forest wasn't fun for him. Of course, once we're able to get to the campsite, and I can stretch a bit, maybe walk out the numb feeling in my ankle, possibly wrap it a little bit, I should be good as new- Naigus said it wasn't as bad as it felt (so, yes, "almost tearing a muscle" was a bit of an exaggeration for me. It was just a really bad twist, so that should be healed up within the next day). But, to save time on our trip, it was suggested that I be carried.

"Oi, Sid, when're we gonna get there?" Black*Star asked, walking in his usual high-kneed way, his hands behind his head with his elbows high up in the air.

"We're almost there- we should be there before dark, even with our little delay back there," Sid replied almost immediately. Oh, so my mistake is considered a delay, now was it? I let out a slight sigh as the walk continued. It felt odd, bobbing up and down as if you were walking, but not being the one walking. Maybe I only noticed it right now because I was like this for so long.

It was not until half an hour later, when the lowering sun had bathed the sky in a shade of orange that reminded me of honey, that we had finally met our destination. I looked to the right, where the trees separated to a large clearing- we were high up, basically up a mountain, and the village was about half a mile away (of course, Shibusen had a cabin up here, as an outpost). And boy, was that view amazing. Or, at least what I could see of it. I wanted to get closer, I wanted to see that beautiful view. But, we were ushered inside the cabin to get everything settled. It was a really simple cabin, like the kind you'd see at a camp, maybe just a little bit bigger. It was made of old, but newly polished-and-glazed dark wood. It seemed old, but it must have been newer - The over abundant wildlife had not yet discovered this new surface to invade.

There was the main room, with a bunch of standard bunk beds arranged strategically on the wooden floor, each with one of our suitcases sitting atop one of the blue mattresses. So, they could send up our stuff, but they make us take a four hour hike through a mountain pass? I was beginning to question Kidd's methods already. There was one open door that probably led to the bathroom, and a door-frame without any door that led to the tiny kitchen. "So, we're _all_ sleeping in the same room?" was the question I let slip from my mouth. I felt foolish immediately after saying it- I was probably coming off as snotty and rude. Naigus gave me a short nod. "Everyone will just take turns changing in the bathroom, and, you guys will be surveilled," she said, looking around the room with her pale blue eyes, giving everyone the most motherly look she could. "Let's all get settled in," she continued, and then looking at me, she beckoned me over, saying, "Here, Maka, let's see if your ankle is doing any better. If not,we can wrap it up." Soul took that as cue to lower himself slightly, letting go of his grip on my legs, letting me slide down his back. I tried to put pressure on my foot. A bit of a sting and a lot of tingling surged into my numb foot as I shifted around my weight a bit. I rotated my ankle a bit, and a few popping noises were heard (which made the numbness in it not feel as bad), and I lowered my foot back down to the ground. It stung slightly, and felt a little odd to walk on, but it would be just fine.

I walked over to my bunk, giving Naigus a thumbs up as I sat down on the lower half, getting the green sleeping bag unhooked from my bag. Tsubaki sat down on the next bunk over, giving me a light smile. "It's good that your ankle is alright, Maka-chan*," she said, that Japanese accent still mixing in with her meek voice. I wasn't surprised at her use of an honorific, either- though she has been in Nevada for a few years, now, she still hasn't been speaking English for very long. I gave a soft smile back, nodding. "I should probably watch my feet better… But then I might run into a branch, or something," I commented with a chuckle. Was this going to be a long trip? Probably.

After a dinner of canned beans and hot dogs made on the stovetop, we pretty much sat on our bunks and talked away. Well, I was trying to read, of course. I was exhausted, and I'm pretty sure the others were, too - Fire and Thunder were already napping away, and Kilik was telling some outrageous story about one of their missions- with many interruptions from Black*Star, and his arrogant comments. Soul seemed to be shifting around a lot, moving his shoulders around, and hitting them lightly with his fist to try to un-stiffen them. He's probably aching right now, having to carry my clumsy old self, with the numb ankle, for almost an hour. I probably should have told him I was fine, and I could walk it out, back when I fell, but I was all too ready to accept the kind offer. Ever since what he said at Kidd's "becoming-a-Shinigami" celebration (about the music he played being _our_ music), and I, unknowingly at the second, felt my face grow hot, things have been a bit… different for us. It was a bit harder to talk to him, sometimes, and now, I'd always become bashful to his (somewhat rare) compliments. Blair had even backed off of him a little bit, as if she_ sensed_ something was going on. But, was it really? I'm sure it was just in his nature, and his upbringing, to be nice, right? I didn't know, and I didn't want to think about it at the moment. Speaking of "at-the-moment," I'd been betrayed by my hormones once more, as my face reddened again. Not to mention, it was noticeable

"Uhm, Maka-chan?" I heard Tsubaki's somewhat meek voice again. "Are you alright? You look a bit flushed." My mind scrambled into overdrive, and I just noticed that I'd been staring off into space (and, at _someone,_ curse my luck). As I tried, and failed, many times to start a sentence, but failing after one syllable each time, I finally said, "I-I'm just a bit stressed, is all…" Great, not only had I been snapped into a blush-inducing reverie, but I'd made a scene as well. I'd never hear the end of this, if anyone else noticed. And it was then that I noticed a few other pairs of eyes on me. Well, this would prove to be quite the interesting mission.

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**A/N: Okay, there's the first chapter! What do you think of it? I'm going to spin this whole thing into an all out -series-, so this better be good. Please, leave a review, or I will -sadly- have to shut down this operation. Don't expect updates to be right-on-time, but I will strive to make updates weekly, at the very most.**

**Puppy-sama OUT!**


	2. The Warrant is Sent: Shinigami's Arrest?

**A/N: You enjoy the last chapter? Then, I hope this one will also be enjoyed. I want to dig a bit deeper into the mystery prospect of the story as well, so this will be interesting. Oh, and also featured in this chapter: Kidd! Remember, I still got this point of view thing going on, but, I want to play it off as a bit fancier, looking like the point of view changes you'd find in a book.**

**With no further ado (after the disclaimer, of course), here is what you've been waiting for (I hope).**

**DISCLAMER: I DO NOT own Soul Eater, and this story is only for recreational purposes and intents, and I ask no charge for this story. I will NOT claim the (canon) Soul Eater characters as my own, I will NOT claim any of it as my own.**

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_**S O U L**_

If you can come up with a crappier way of being woken up than what I had just experienced this morning, I'd love to hear it. It took a long time to get over with, too. First, it started out as hearing crying from Fire and Thunder- that was to be expected, they're just kids, after all. Then it moved to people yelling at me- not cool. How the heck was I supposed to fix that? And in the last phase, my head was pretty much slammed into the wall (which my head was already dangerously near) by the blue-haired psychopath. When I got it in me to actually wake up, I saw what the fuss was about. A string of curses and a literal leap out of bed later, I was transformed and in my partner's hand, as she began to run out the door, to the high-pitched wails of whatever was attacking outside, which was being sliced at by Sid and Naigus.

The thing that was attacking wasn't pretty, either. It was like a large, tall grey humanoid, yellowish spikes erupting from its head, making him resemble some sort of deformed Super Saiyan. His large, bulky arms reached all the way down to the dirt below, stretching out into a large hand, with three meaty fingers ending it. He was in a permanent slump, almost in a hunchback kind of way, which was probably what caused his knuckles to be dragging about the ground. His legs were so short and stubby, it was laughable. Here was this towering monster (with a face that I would much rather look at vomit than stare at), and then he had itty bitty baby legs. Of course, the laugh I failed to keep in my throat got me a wierd look from my meister. It wasn't so funny once he rose his arms up to strike. Maka, who was obviously more aware of the situation than I was at the second, leaped up into the air, aiming a slash at him. The tip of my blade poked right into his milky white eye, making odd liquid spew out of it. Gross.

Maka landed in a not-so-graceful squat (accompanied by a small wince, due to her ankle, no doubt), and backed away as two blurs made their way to the monster- undoubtedly Kilik and Black*Star. Whatever confusion I had left cleared out- we disarmed the big guy just a little bit, so now Black*Star and Kilik are going to distract him. Slices and punches were thrown, each fist bash from this big grey Hulk-Wannabe accompanied by a loud, painful wail. Maka leaped up one more time, and with a powerful swing at the creature's neck, delivered what was easily the final blow. That was _way_ easier than I expected, and since it was still dark out, I was thankful- I could catch some more sleep before our usual wake-up call. As my meister landed, the creature erupted into dark spirals that evaportated in the air, signaling its death. I seeped out of my weapon form, now standing back upon the ground to see something unsettling- the soul it dropped wasn't the normal evil-red-glowy ball of gel. It was_ purple_. The color of a_ witch's _soul. Maka's bewildered look matched mine.

"What the-"

And the word that followed wasn't something you'd expect from meek little Bookworm.

* * *

_**K I D D**_

It was days like these that always made me wonder how Father got by whilst (somewhat) keeping his sanity intact. Not only would things become dissheveled, but my whole schedule was in complete dis-array. I could no longer awaken at the normal time- 8 in the morning. I know, I said that since order is changing, I would, too, but small steps are key, right? Anywho, things were just about as chaotic as they could get. An explosion in the student lab had occured precisely at 9:05 this morning- and no teacher to govern these students, who somehow managed to blow the door off... With frogs. It was not until I arrived in that room that I was informed of Dr. Stein's absense- Marie, who was on maternity leave, is apparently, dare I say it, in _labor_. With no person around to chaperone the students, and still an hour left in the period, I had to stay with them. It was a group of Shibusen's younger students, ranging from eight years of age, to eleven. It was undoubtedly one of the worst experiences I've faced.

As soon as I sat down on that desk chair (which felt a bit wobbly, of course), and told the children to quiet down, things only got louder from there. I left the class with what was most likely a tangled mess of hair and a dissheveled excuse for clothing. One of the younger female students managed to get a hold of glitter glue. She, the despicable child she was, only got the silvery mess on _half_ of my face. First, I'm bombarded with a sticky mess of glitter, and now, even my face is completely unbalanced! The scrutiny! After the bell had rung, and the next teacher was making his way into the room*, I am ashamed to admit I all but dashed into the washrooms to get this silvery glob off of my face. But, considering my outward appearance at the moment, the most important thing was fixing my outrageous look. Soon, I was able to return to the confines of the Death Room, which was already very familiar and calming to me- a place of peace. Until, then, I remembered something- I had a meeting with Death Scythe Spirit concerning the goals for students of Shibusen, now that our pact with the witches had now been formed. The mirror at the front of the room began to chime, and I hesitantly sauntered up to it.

An image of Spirit began to melt onto the mirror screen, and I mustered up the least exhausted look that I could manage at the moment. My standing "partnership" with Spirit was a bit shaky- I had never grown comfortable around the drunkard, but as a Death Scythe, I knew I had to trust him. And, he _was_ my father's most trusted Death Weapon, so, as much as my impression of him leaned on negative, I did rely on his decisions quite often, seeing as my change to Shinigami position was quite premature. "You ready?" He asked, with the most droopy-eyed expression I've seen on him. I simply disregarded the state of energy he was at- I was exhausted as well. "Now, not only do the students have no prior goal, seeing as it isn't possible to become a Death Weapon anymore, but, I have no way to aquire new weapons as the generations come and go," I began, putting my hands behind my back. "Now, I suggest we-" And that was when I heard it. That unmistakable _squeak, squeak, squeak_ of little plushy feet on the marble Death Room floor, and that gut-wrenchingly familiar tapping of a wooden cane on that very same marble ground. I knew exactly who was entering before his loud introduction had erupted in the room, and I failed to supress a groan.

"Salutations, young Shinigami, old Death Scythe," the deep voice echoed across the room, causing me to grimace. In other situations, my rude behavior would be uncalled for, and without excuse, but, this was no person I was talking to. This was...

"Excalibur..." his voice boomed again, "has arrived!" he said with a twirl of the cane (which incedently hit me near the posterior). Rather than yell, I decided to use a softer approach- I'd hear him out, and then shoo the thing away. "What is your reason for-"

"My arrival has brought a message!" he cut in obnoxiously. Out of what seemed liked nowhere, he pulled out a very traditional-looking scroll. The purple velvet binded the scroll closed said it all- It was a message, from the Witches. Rather than hand me the message, as I have expected, the little creature opened the scroll, and cleared his throat. "From the American branch of the Witches, main branch, 1st decree, signed by..." He bagan, but realizing that he was about to read off the entire main branch of the Witchs' political system, I cut in. "May you skip ahead?"

"Alright- Effective on December 2nd," he concluded, beginning to put the scroll away.

"Wait!" I put my hand out in front of me. "What was before that?"

"Ah, yes," he replied opening the scroll again. "From the American branch of the Witches, main branch, 1st decree, signed by..." I all but snatched the scroll out of his plushy little hands. Most of the paper was taken up by the signings of the main branch, but, the message said it all:

_ "__A summon of Shinigami Kidd has been called to discuss terms of his inprisonment for breaking of the official pact between Shibusen and the Witches. Effective December 2nd, today. If Shinigami Kidd does not respond to the summon, subpeona protocol will be followed, and brute force will be applied."_

"Oi, Kidd, what is it?" the image of Spirit asked. I almost failed to find my voice as I squeaked out a small phrase in the most unflattering manner. "I-I'm being... I'm being arrested!"

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**A/N: And that concludes our lovely chapter for today, thankyouverymuch~! Now, did I do well with Kidd's point of view? He's not a character I'm good with, so...**

**By the way, I might update a bit frequently, just to get this story off the ground. So, that's about it.**

**Puppy-sama, OUT!**


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